Robin Uthappa has been appointed Karthik's deputy.
Dinesh Karthik will lead Kolkata Knight Riders in the 11th season of the Indian Premier League.
KKR team CEO Venky Mysore announced Dinesh Karthik as the new skipper for IPL 2018 in Sunday. Karthik's name was revealed on a TV show.
Karthik, 32, has been part of the IPL since it's inception in 2008, and he has played for five different teams - Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and most recently Gujarat Lions.
Mysore said,"The principal we operated on was that we were looking for a long-term change. We were looking at someone who could continue to lead the side like Gautam."
Robin Uthappa, who along with Chris Lynn, was one of the top contenders for the job has been appointed Karthik's deputy.
Karthik was bagged for a massive Rs 7.4 cr by the franchise in the IPL auctions in January.
"It is an honour to represent Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the most successful franchises in the IPL and I look forward to this new challenge. I am excited about the squad that has been assembled, which has a great combination of experience and youth. I will do my best to represent brand KKR and the millions of KKR fans," the newly appointed captain said.
Karthik said, "KKR has done well consistently in the last ten years. The team has a great legacy. I am really happy and honoured to lead this side."
The new skipper further added, "We have a good blend of youth and experience. We are looking forward to work under coach Jacques Kallis. All the foreign players are really good too. I will try to take the team forward from where Gautam Gambhir left."
Karthik has previous experience of captaining Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. He led Tamil Nadu to a title triumph in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2009-10. He was also the captain of the India Red side that won the Duleep Trophy last year. In the T20 format, Karthik led TUTI Patriots to the Tamil Nadu Premier League title in the 2016 edition.
Here is the full Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:
Dinesh Karthik (C), Robin Uthappa (VC), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Singh Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Vijay Wankhade, Ishank Jaggi
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